


Just Dance

by Princess_Kel



Series: A Perfect Fit [3]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Angst, Body Image, Dancing, F/M, Insecure!Penelope, Insecurities, Jealousy, Romance, Self Esteem, Weight Issues, amazing!Derek, au but not really, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 14:28:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5294681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_Kel/pseuds/Princess_Kel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It shouldn't have - mattered, that is - but it did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Dance

Derek twirled her across the floor gracefully and she laughed in surprise as he dipped her towards the ground, then pulled her easily back up into his arms. Their mutual trust was obvious as they danced so beautifully together, easily the most stunning couple on the floor.

From her seat across the room, Penelope sighed unhappily.

She knew she was being unfair. So what if Derek wanted to dance with Emily? Was it any of her business that they moved together so naturally? Did it really matter that he'd asked her instead of Garcia this time?

It shouldn't have - mattered, that is - but it did. Oh, it did. And so, as Morgan and Prentiss shook, shimmied, and sashayed across the floor, Garcia sat alone at an empty table - the rest of the team was mingling with other wedding guests - and sulked.

She was so lost in thought, staring daggers into her empty glass and thinking of plausible reasons to just leave, that she failed to notice approaching until Morgan was already seated next to her, inching his chair closer towards hers around the table and looking at her with obvious concern.

"Hey, Baby Boy," she said; her feeble attempt at seeming cheerful fell flat on its face. "What happened to Prentiss? Looked like you two were having fun out there."

"But you're not," Derek countered. He couldn't help but notice that Penelope was avoiding eye contact, and he didn't like it. "C'mon, Baby Girl," he implored, "spill."

"It's nothing, my love," Garcia tried to assure him, looking up at last with an unconvincing smile and giving his hand a halfhearted pat. He raised his eyebrows at her lame attempt, and she just sighed. "Don't worry about it, Derek," she amended, "it's silly."

"Silly or not, if it's got you this upset, I want to fix it," he insisted. He racked his brain for anything that could have triggered such a negative response from Penelope: she'd been practically ecstatic for the happy couple during the service, she'd chatted happily all the way to the reception venue, and she'd been all smiles during dinner. What could it have possibly been? She'd seemed perfectly content until he'd-

Wait a minute.

"Penelope," he said, his voice quiet and uncertain, "are you upset that I was dancing with Emily?" She didn't respond, but she'd never been good at hiding her emotions, and he could see the unspoken "yes" written all over her beautiful face.

There was a long silence until finally Garcia muttered, "I'm being dumb, I know."

"No, Baby Girl," Derek said gently as he took her perfectly manicured hand in both of his calloused ones. "I'm just trying to understand. Why was it a problem that I asked Prentiss to dance?"

Still looking down, Penelope sighed and whispered, "You used to ask me sometimes."

Derek was absolutely gobsmacked. That was true, of course, but he'd stopped asking when he realized she was going to turn him down every time. He figured maybe he was making her uncomfortable by continuing to ask.

"Penelope, sweetness," he said quietly, tilting her chin until she was looking into his eyes, "if you wanted to dance, why didn't you just say so?"

He watched as pain flashed through her eyes. She blinked slowly and sighed softly before saying, "It's not the dancing, Derek; it's the asking." When her words were met with a completely blank stare from her favorite profiler, she realized she would have to elaborate. "It just made me feel good that you would want to ask, you know? That you would want to dance with me, to be near me. It didn't bother me that you danced with Emily so much as it did that you asked her instead of me. I mean, I understand, though. She's a way better dance partner than I would ever be." Her voice trailed off towards the end of her explanation and she refocused her gaze firmly on the white linen tablecloth to avoid looking Morgan in the eye.

"Penelope, I only stopped asking because I thought you didn't want me to ask!" He explained vehemently. "Why on earth would you think Prentiss makes a better partner, mama?"

Garcia gave a low, self-deprecating laugh. In a barely audible, tear-cracked voice, she said, "Girls like me don't dance like that, Derek. I'm not agile or flexible enough for all those moves, or light enough for one of those sexy dips of yours. I'm not graceful enough to keep up, and besides - you and me, dancing together? The super sexy special agent and the overweight computer geek? We'd be the most mismatched couple on the floor."

Derek's heart broke when he heard her explanation. Why on earth did she think of herself that way? Besides the fact that she has the sharpest wit and kindest heart of any woman he knew, he was stunned that she clearly thought so little of her own appeal. God knows he didn't! No, Penelope was absolutely beautiful, more coordinated and graceful than she gave herself credit for, and absolutely the sexiest darn thing in the room! She could dance, too; he'd seen it himself when she didn't think he was watching. Her problem wasn't about body type at all (God, no, he thought her body was completely perfect!) but about confidence. And he could definitely fix that.

He rose quickly from his chair, extended his hand and said, his voice thick and deep with emotion, "Stand up, Penelope."

"What?" She asked incredulously, turning over her shoulder with tears in her eyes. "Morgan, were you listing at all just now?" Nevertheless, she stood as carefully as she could and placed her hand in his absentmindedly.

"Yeah, Garcia, I was. And you know what? I don't like anybody talking about my girl the way you just talked about yourself. Penelope, you are absolutely gorgeous." She opened her mouth to argue, but he ignored her. "Beautiful. Stunning. Sexy. And exactly - exactly - my type. If I had thought you'd say yes, I would've asked you to dance before Prentiss in a heartbeat. Now c'mon, Baby Girl. I'm gonna prove you wrong."

Morgan led her gently to the dance floor just as the swinging, upbeat song faded into a slower, softer number. As the tempo of the music slowed down, Penelope's heartbeat sped up exponentially.

"Relax, Garcia," Derek whispered. She flinched as his hands ghosted across her hips, terrified he'd change his mind when he got a hands-on perspective of just how curvy she was. On the contrary, however, Derek instead flashed her a mischievous smile and squeezed her ample butt, eliciting the tiniest of squeals from a very surprised Penelope.

"You're amazing, Penelope," he informed her quietly as he returned his hands to her voluptuous hips and gripped them gently, thoroughly enjoying their softness. Goodness knows he didn't get that sort of luxury with skinny little Prentiss.

Tentatively, Penelope reached up and wrapped her arms around Derek's neck, finally daring to meet his gaze again. Much to her surprise, he didn't look uncomfortable at all. Quite the opposite, really; he looked as if he'd never felt more at home than he did here, in Penelope's arms. Her eyes widened when he leaned down and placed the softest of kisses on her lips.

"Wh-wha-" she stammered, but Derek shushed her gently. "Just doing what I should have done a long time ago. Now relax, beautiful girl. Just dance."


End file.
